The CDL is delighted to share news about the launch of a new book this month written by Guy Edwards and J. Timmons Roberts called A Fragmented Continent: Latin America and the Global Politics of Climate Change (MIT Press, 2015)…
Latin American countries have increased their influence at the United Nations climate change negotiations and offered potential solutions on coping with global warming. But in the face of competing priorities, sometimes these climate policies are jettisoned, undermined, or simply ignored.
A Fragmented Continent focuses on Latin America’s three major blocs at the U.N. climate negotiations and how they attempt to balance climate action with building prosperity. Brazil has reduced its deforestation but continues its drive for economic growth and global recognition. A leftist group led by Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador decries the injustice of climate change but is highly dependent on the export of fossil fuels. A new group, including Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru and supported by Mexico, offers sharp reductions in their carbon emissions in return for greater action by others; these countries now have to deliver on their promises. Weaving together issues of politics and economy, trade, foreign policy, civil society, and environmental protection, A Fragmented Continent offers a long-missing perspective on one of this century’s greatest challenges and neglected regions.
It represents the first of its kind for a general audience on Latin America and climate change and provides important insights into how the region’s countries are responding to global warming particularly relevant as we approach a new phrase of global climate governance with a likely agreement in Paris and its implications for Latin America.
Below you will find the contents, endorsements and how to buy a copy.
The books will shortly be arriving at the MIT Press warehouse. You can pre-order your copy online now in paperback and it should be with you in the next couple of weeks before Paris and Christmas: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/fragmented-continent
Contents
Foreword by Ricardo Lagos, former president of Chile and United Nations
Special Envoy on Climate Change
Preface and Acknowledgments
1 Paradoxes of a Neglected Region
The New Engineers of Consensus
Acutely Vulnerable
A Low-Carbon Continent?
Four Factors for Understanding Climate Politics in Latin America
Nature: Natural Resources and Vulnerability to Climate Impacts
Development: Economic Growth and Competing Models of Development
Foreign Policy: Regional Integration, International Alliances, and Trade
Civil Society: The Gap between Climate Concerns and Action
Four of Many Factors
The Shape of the Book
2 Latin America’s Emerging Leadership on Climate Change
Looking beyond Latin America’s Decade
A Continent of Blocs
A Rift Emerges in Stockholm
Blame It on Rio
Is the G77 Disintegrating?
The Double Edge of Big Hydro
Inadvertent Pioneers
A Region’s Emerging Clout on Climate Change
3 Brazil: Climate Leader or Spoiler?
Brazil’s Moment?
Brazil’s Perplexing Behavior at the Negotiations
Joining Club BASIC
The Quest for a Seat
Fewer Chainsaws, More Forest
Do We Have Lift-Off?
An Uncertain Climate Future
4 A Flea in the Ear? The Emergence of ALBA
Standing Up for Climate Justice
What Is a Bolivarian Alliance?
ALBA’s Role at the Negotiations
Cochabamba and Bolivia’s Shifting Climate Policy
Ecuador’s Proposal to “Keep the Oil in the Soil”
Wildcat: Oil and Venezuela’s Mercurial Climate Posture
Assessing ALBA’s Impact and Future
5 The Revolt of the Middle: Mexico and AILAC
Latin America’s Other Path?
Bridging the North-South Divide
Mexico “Saves Climate Multilateralism”
AILAC’s Green Shoots in Doha
Costa Rica: Between an Oil Refinery and Carbon Neutrality
Peru Walks the Tightrope
Less Talk, More Action
6 Sustainable Action?
A Decisive Region?
A Puzzle and Four Factors
One Voice or Many?
Making a Mark in Lima
Toward a New Research Agenda
Building a Lead
Notes
References
Index
Endorsements
“Latin America is a rich and complex microcosm of all the challenges and opportunities seen in contemporary global geopolitics. It is a dynamic region with many examples of great leadership, innovation, and creativity on climate change, but also one struggling with the deep challenges presented by the transformation of our growth model. This book offers fascinating insights into these dichotomies while shining pathways to ever greater ambition that can help Latin Americans move forward and truly realize a sustainable, climate-safe century.”
—Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
“A Fragmented Continent is an essential contribution to understanding the politics of climate change in Latin America. Edwards and Roberts highlight the intersection of global negotiations and divergent domestic realities. Their persuasive analysis is animated by a belief that fostering prosperity and combating climate change are realistic and reinforcing aims.”
—Michael Shifter, President, Inter-American Dialogue
“A Fragmented Continent is a welcome addition to the literature on Latin America, full of useful analysis in a well-written and accessible style that successfully conveys why the region is important for global climate governance. Latin America has, and will continue to play, a critical role in making the global transition to a low carbon economy.”
—Sir David King, Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative for Climate Change, UK Government
“Focusing on the short-term can lead some to interpret certain decisions as a betrayal to personal principles. But, as this book states, Latin America is faced with multiple climate impacts. So the long-term perspective usually proves that the chosen path was correct. As COP20 President we delivered the means which can strengthen Peru’s domestic agenda to tackle climate change and commitment to global action.”
—Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Minister of Environment of Peru
“Few issues are as important as climate change and as challenging as finding credible solutions to it in the complex domestic politics of individual countries. In this pathbreaking book, the authors examine the politics of climate change across Latin America and the relationship between political rhetoric and sound policy in each country. The result is a remarkable study which shows both important pathways to credible climate governance and the complex and sometimes contradictory problems they face.”
—David Held, Professor of Politics and International Relations, Durham University
A Fragmented Continent focuses on Latin America’s three major blocs at the U.N. climate negotiations and how they attempt to balance climate action with building prosperity. Brazil has reduced its deforestation but continues its drive for economic growth and global recognition. A leftist group led by Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador decries the injustice of climate change but is highly dependent on the export of fossil fuels. A new group, including Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru and supported by Mexico, offers sharp reductions in their carbon emissions in return for greater action by others; these countries now have to deliver on their promises. Weaving together issues of politics and economy, trade, foreign policy, civil society, and environmental protection, A Fragmented Continent offers a long-missing perspective on one of this century’s greatest challenges and neglected regions.
It represents the first of its kind for a general audience on Latin America and climate change and provides important insights into how the region’s countries are responding to global warming particularly relevant as we approach a new phrase of global climate governance with a likely agreement in Paris and its implications for Latin America.
Below you will find the contents, endorsements and how to buy a copy.
The books will shortly be arriving at the MIT Press warehouse. You can pre-order your copy online now in paperback and it should be with you in the next couple of weeks before Paris and Christmas: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/fragmented-continent
Contents
Foreword by Ricardo Lagos, former president of Chile and United Nations
Special Envoy on Climate Change
Preface and Acknowledgments
1 Paradoxes of a Neglected Region
The New Engineers of Consensus
Acutely Vulnerable
A Low-Carbon Continent?
Four Factors for Understanding Climate Politics in Latin America
Nature: Natural Resources and Vulnerability to Climate Impacts
Development: Economic Growth and Competing Models of Development
Foreign Policy: Regional Integration, International Alliances, and Trade
Civil Society: The Gap between Climate Concerns and Action
Four of Many Factors
The Shape of the Book
2 Latin America’s Emerging Leadership on Climate Change
Looking beyond Latin America’s Decade
A Continent of Blocs
A Rift Emerges in Stockholm
Blame It on Rio
Is the G77 Disintegrating?
The Double Edge of Big Hydro
Inadvertent Pioneers
A Region’s Emerging Clout on Climate Change
3 Brazil: Climate Leader or Spoiler?
Brazil’s Moment?
Brazil’s Perplexing Behavior at the Negotiations
Joining Club BASIC
The Quest for a Seat
Fewer Chainsaws, More Forest
Do We Have Lift-Off?
An Uncertain Climate Future
4 A Flea in the Ear? The Emergence of ALBA
Standing Up for Climate Justice
What Is a Bolivarian Alliance?
ALBA’s Role at the Negotiations
Cochabamba and Bolivia’s Shifting Climate Policy
Ecuador’s Proposal to “Keep the Oil in the Soil”
Wildcat: Oil and Venezuela’s Mercurial Climate Posture
Assessing ALBA’s Impact and Future
5 The Revolt of the Middle: Mexico and AILAC
Latin America’s Other Path?
Bridging the North-South Divide
Mexico “Saves Climate Multilateralism”
AILAC’s Green Shoots in Doha
Costa Rica: Between an Oil Refinery and Carbon Neutrality
Peru Walks the Tightrope
Less Talk, More Action
6 Sustainable Action?
A Decisive Region?
A Puzzle and Four Factors
One Voice or Many?
Making a Mark in Lima
Toward a New Research Agenda
Building a Lead
Notes
References
Index
Endorsements
“Latin America is a rich and complex microcosm of all the challenges and opportunities seen in contemporary global geopolitics. It is a dynamic region with many examples of great leadership, innovation, and creativity on climate change, but also one struggling with the deep challenges presented by the transformation of our growth model. This book offers fascinating insights into these dichotomies while shining pathways to ever greater ambition that can help Latin Americans move forward and truly realize a sustainable, climate-safe century.”
—Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
“A Fragmented Continent is an essential contribution to understanding the politics of climate change in Latin America. Edwards and Roberts highlight the intersection of global negotiations and divergent domestic realities. Their persuasive analysis is animated by a belief that fostering prosperity and combating climate change are realistic and reinforcing aims.”
—Michael Shifter, President, Inter-American Dialogue
“A Fragmented Continent is a welcome addition to the literature on Latin America, full of useful analysis in a well-written and accessible style that successfully conveys why the region is important for global climate governance. Latin America has, and will continue to play, a critical role in making the global transition to a low carbon economy.”
—Sir David King, Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative for Climate Change, UK Government
“Focusing on the short-term can lead some to interpret certain decisions as a betrayal to personal principles. But, as this book states, Latin America is faced with multiple climate impacts. So the long-term perspective usually proves that the chosen path was correct. As COP20 President we delivered the means which can strengthen Peru’s domestic agenda to tackle climate change and commitment to global action.”
—Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Minister of Environment of Peru
“Few issues are as important as climate change and as challenging as finding credible solutions to it in the complex domestic politics of individual countries. In this pathbreaking book, the authors examine the politics of climate change across Latin America and the relationship between political rhetoric and sound policy in each country. The result is a remarkable study which shows both important pathways to credible climate governance and the complex and sometimes contradictory problems they face.”
—David Held, Professor of Politics and International Relations, Durham University
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